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Puppy Socialisation: A Detailed Guide
- Anthony Lennard
- Jan 14
- 22 min read
Socialisation is arguably the most important learning your dog will ever do.
In this guide, I will explain how to properly socialise your puppy, why it’s important, what not to do and how to support your puppy during this incredibly important period.
This is a detailed, practical guide. You don’t need to read it all at once, use the contents menu to jump to the sections most relevant to you and come back to the rest when you’re ready.
Table of Contents
What is Socialisation (and What It Isn't)
To correctly understand what socialisation is, we need to understand the meaning of socialisation. There are many out there but the one I like is from Oxford Dictionary:
‘The process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.’
When we apply this definition to dogs, we need to think about what “acceptable behaviour” looks like in a human world. For most of us, that means dogs who can move through life feeling calm, confident and able to cope with everyday challenges.
In my opinion, that last point is especially important. Dogs who are able to bounce back from difficult or unexpected situations tend to be more resilient, more flexible and less easily overwhelmed as they grow, this makes life much easier for everyone involved.
So what is socialisation?
In its most basic form, socialisation is about helping your puppy learn about the outside world, giving them predictable interactions with other dogs and people and laying the foundations for how we want them to behave around wildlife, traffic, busy environments etc. This means learning how & what they can interact with, what they should try to ignore and ideally not have to worry about.
Proper socialisation also plays a big part in reducing the likelihood of your puppy growing into a dog who struggles with fear, anxiety and general nervousness. Whilst dogs continue to learn throughout their life, their early life experiences play a big role in their behaviour - so it’s important we do everything we can to help them.
What isn’t socialisation?
Simply put, socialisation is not about letting your puppy play with every dog or person they meet. Nor is it about exposing your puppy to as many places and situations as possible. Taking that approach can lead to unforeseen issues later on, linked to overstimulation, overexcitement and stress - which might sound minor here but from professional experience, they can cause big issues as your dog grows.
One final thing I should mention is that this socialisation period isn't the only time your dog will learn. Whilst this stage does play an important role in your dog's behaviour, they are still able to learn and form new associations as they go through their life.
The Importance of Socialisation
I like to think of socialisation as laying the foundations of your home. Properly laid foundations provide a home stability, resilience and support, allowing for the home to be built without issues. However, if the foundations aren’t correct problems will only become apparent once the house is built or much later.
This is how puppy socialisation works.
Your puppy’s early experiences will provide the foundation for how they feel and interact with the world around them, this includes people, dogs, other animals, places and new experiences - it also plays a role in how they handle stress and negative experiences. Puppies who have a correct, positive and predictable socialisation experience are more likely to be calmer, more resilient and optimistic when they mature into adult dogs.
However, when a puppy’s socialisation experience isn’t ideal, whether that be due to fear, misunderstanding behaviour or just simply being overwhelmed it can lead to problems later, once the puppy has matured into an adult dog.
Lola & Charlie Example
Not long after covid, I was contacted to help a dog called Lola, who was very anxious and overwhelmed in the outside world. This was all due to the unusual state of the world when she arrived home, quiet, peaceful and not much going on. As soon as the world went back to normal, Lola was overwhelmed by all the noise, people and other dogs. This resulted in Lola barking and lunging at other dogs, pulling her owners the entirety of her walks and she would take ages to calm down. Now this wasn’t anything that the owners had done wrong, it was just that the state of the world then was completely different to a couple of years later.
Not long after I had finished working with Lola, her owner announced she was getting a new puppy called Charlie and she wanted help to socialise him, to try and avoid the issues that Lola experienced. To achieve this, we gradually started to expose Charlie to a variety of environments and carefully managed his interactions with people and other dogs.
The difference between both dogs at the same age was incredible. Whereas Lola was overwhelmed and nervous, Charlie was relaxed and very resilient. This is an excellent example of how socialisation can affect dogs long after the socialisation window has closed.
Throughout this guide, you will see videos from Charlie's socialisation training.
The Puppy Socialisation Window
The puppy socialisation window is a period of time where your puppy’s brain is very receptive to new experiences, stress and fear. This period is generally thought to occur during the ages of 3 - 16 weeks and when you consider that most puppies arrive in their new home around the age of 8 - 10 weeks of age, it’s not a very long time.
It’s even less time when you factor in the general advice from vets to not take your puppy outside until they’ve had their complete set of vaccinations. So what should you do?
Vaccines & Socialisation
One of the common worries new puppy owners have, is when can they start safely socialising their puppy. The advice from vets is usually to not take your puppy outside until after their second vaccination, whereas trainers and behaviourists would tell you to start asap.
So what should you do?
The advice I give puppy owners when it comes to this question, is to start socialising as soon as possible but with some precautions put in place. Whilst it is crucial that puppies are protected from catching illnesses during this phase, the influence of socialisation on your dog’s long-term behaviour cannot be understated. We just have to work a little bit differently:
Carry Them
Carrying your puppy in your arms or in a sling, is an excellent way to start exposing your puppy before they have had all of their vaccinations.
Watch From Your Car
Another excellent way to start getting your puppy used to places is to sit with them in your car and watch the world go by. This allows them to observe the world from afar, without feeling overwhelmed.
Invite People to Your Home
Instead of taking your puppy to meet new people, invite them over to your home to meet them. This minimises the risk of them picking up something from a new environment.
Garden Meets for Known Dogs
If you are introducing your new puppy to a family/friends dog, the recommended advice is to do so in your garden (or that of the other dogs) as it’s unlikely, but not impossible, that there will be bugs or viruses your puppy can pick up. Another is to make sure that the dog they are meeting is up to date with all their vaccinations and hasn't recently had any illnesses.
To summarise, while caution should be applied, the socialisation phase is too important to delay and with clever thinking, you can get started whilst keeping your puppy safe.
Puppy Body Language
Your puppy’s body language is their primary way of communicating how they feel. Learning to recognise these signals allows you to adjust situations before your puppy becomes overwhelmed.
Relaxed Body Language
This is the emotional state you want to see during socialisation. When your puppy looks relaxed, learning is happening.
A relaxed puppy will usually show loose, fluid movements and an overall soft appearance. Signs may include:
A loose, wiggly body
Soft eyes and blinking
A relaxed tail
Sniffing the ground or casually exploring
Choosing to approach or disengage freely
Stressed Body Language
Stress signals are often subtle and easily missed, especially in young puppies. Common signs include:
Lip licking or tongue flicks
Yawning when not tired
Turning the head away
Freezing briefly
Scratching or shaking off
These behaviours tell you that your puppy is finding the situation challenging. When you notice stress signals, it’s a good idea to reduce the difficulty. This means increasing distance, shortening the interaction or taking a break.
Scared or Fearful Body Language
Fearful body language is more obvious and should always be taken seriously. Signs may include:
Cowering or lowering the body
Tail tucked tightly underneath
Ears pinned back
Trembling
Trying to hide or escape
Growling or snapping if unable to move away
If your puppy is showing these signs, they are telling you they feel unsafe. The priority here is to remove pressure and help your puppy feel secure. Continuing exposure in these moments can increase fear rather than build confidence.
The link below is to an excellent YouTube series of videos on dog to dog body language by ‘That Dog Geek’.
General Rules for Puppy Socialisation
When it comes to how to socialise your puppy, the process is pretty simple. Below I will explain the general rules for you to follow, then I will explain how to socialise your puppy in certain situations.
Start Off Easy
Whether you’re introducing your puppy to family and friends or taking them out for their first walk, the best thing to do is take it easy. This means, giving them time to take everything in (this will often look like pausing and stopping), not forcing them to interact, not overwhelming them or dragging them along, not giving them a chance to take anything in.
Below is a video from a puppy training session where we focussed on letting the puppy observe what's going on around her.
Increase Difficulty Gradually
As you move through the socialisation phase, you’ll want to gradually increase the difficulty once your puppy is coping well. This means:
Reducing Distance (allow your puppy to get closer to people, dogs, traffic etc.)
Increasing intensity (gradually expose your puppy to busier places)
Increase duration (longer interactions or time in places/situations)
Increase complexity (shorter gaps between situations/meetings)
For example: instead of walking your puppy by a busy road and expecting them to cope, start off by taking them to a quiet park (overlooking a road) or quiet road (at a quiet time) and let them observe from a distance. Gradually increase the difficulty by moving into more busier roads and slowly reduce distance from the road/traffic.
Whilst it may be annoying, going at your puppy’s pace and gradually increasing the difficulty increases their resilience to stress and allows them to cope in busier situations.
When increasing difficulty, make things easier at first: As you begin to increase the difficulty, I highly recommend initially making things easier for your puppy so as to not overwhelm them. This looks like:
If moving to a busier location, initially reduce the amount of time you are there.
If getting closer to something, initially reduce how long your puppy has to be around it.
If increasing the complexity of a social interaction, initially give your puppy a longer break after.
By making it easier at first, you are increasing the likelihood of your puppy adjusting to the new scenario and having a positive learning outcome.
Short Interactions are Best
When it comes to socialisation, shorter is often better.
Puppies learn through emotional associations, not duration. A brief, positive interaction that ends while your puppy still feels comfortable will do far more for their confidence than a long interaction that pushes them past their limits.
This might mean:
A few seconds of calmly observing something new from a distance
A short greeting before moving away
Leaving an environment while your puppy is still relaxed and curious
Ending interactions early helps your puppy process the experience positively when they rest or sleep afterwards. Over time, these small wins build a puppy who feels safe, confident and optimistic about the world, rather than one who learns that new things are overwhelming or unpredictable.
Give Them a Choice
One simple yet often forgotten way to raise a confident and resilient dog, is to allow them make choices - sounds simple right? Unfortunately, this is often overlooked and you’ll see puppies being dragged to and from things, without any thought from the owner.
So how can you allow your dog to make choices, it’s pretty simple in all honesty. If your puppy appears reluctant to approach or interact, don’t force them. Allow them to watch and overtime, they will usually want to investigate. If your puppy appears relaxed and wants to approach/interact, let them. As long as the situation appears to be relaxed and not at the risk of over exposing them.
In short - giving your puppy choices will make life much easier in the long run.
Think Long-term
Another tip I give clients is to think about how they want their adult dog to behave in various situations, this usually gives them an idea of what they should aim for during this phase.
An example I always remember is a client who would occasionally have to work in London and wanted to bring their puppy with them, this meant taking the train and tube. Ideally, the dog would be calm during the travel time. To achieve this, they started by getting their puppy used to being around train stations and over a period of 3 - 4 weeks, gradually started taking them on train journeys that got longer and took place during busier times. By the time Hugo was 16 weeks old, he was falling asleep on the train!!
Quality Over Quantity
If there was one tip I could give a new puppy owner when it comes to socialisation it would be this, focus on quality rather than quantity. It’s far more beneficial for your puppy to have fewer good interactions than lots of interactions that are stressful, scary or unpredictable.
A good way to do this is to ask family and friends who will listen, to meet your puppy first before taking them out into the world. When it comes to dogs, if any family members or friends have older dogs who are calm and predictable, it's a really good idea to use them for your puppy’s interactions.
Think Ratios
When out on walks, it can be hard to remember how many interactions your puppy has. Too few interactions and your puppy can become nervous, unsure around people & dogs. Too many and they can become too excited and desperate to meet. I’ve found the best way to minimise the chances of this occurring is to think in ratios when it comes to managing interactions.
For every person or dog your puppy interacts with, they should not interact with the next 3 - this is a 1:3 ratio and whilst not a hard and fast rule, it is a very simple guide to keep in your head.
Reward Disengagement
If there is one skill that every dog should learn, it’s disengagement. This is when a dog learns to look away/not stare at something for too long, this is important as fixating on something can lead to frustration, fear and uncertainty.
Below is a video of training walk I did with Leo, you can see him learn to look away (disengage) in the video.
The below is a popular guide called ‘The Engage Disengage Game’. It's perfect for puppies during the socialisation phase and it’s super effective at teaching them to focus on you when around distractions.
Good socialisation is about quality, not quantity. Interactions should be short, predictable and always end on a positive note. When in doubt, aim for experiences that leave your puppy feeling relaxed and curious rather than excited or overwhelmed.
How to Socialise Your Puppy With Dogs
When it comes to socialising your puppy around dogs, quality is much more important than quantity. The ideal end goal is that your puppy grows into a dog who is calm and relaxed around other dogs and is able to read their body language correctly, acting accordingly. Whilst that sounds easy, it can be tricky at first.
To get started, if you know of any calm, older dogs (fully vaccinated) these are usually good first encounters to arrange. Usually starting in your garden or a quiet park, is a good location to use (this obviously depends on your puppy’s vaccinations). Both dogs should be kept on leads/longlines and allowed to approach if they choose. Your puppy is likely to be nervous at first, so keeping interactions short with regular breaks is ideal (this is a must for the older dog too).
When it comes to dogs on walks, initially choose times to walk your puppy when it’s relatively quiet to avoid overwhelming them. Allow your puppy to watch without approaching at first, this a good idea to let them realise that other dogs exist without being approached - this is key part of learning to not say hello to other dogs.
As your puppy becomes more confident and relaxed, you can start to get closer to other dogs. At this point, I recommend reviewing the body language part and applying this to other dogs. If the other dog appears unsure, stiff or reluctant to engage - it’s usually best to avoid them (this goes for the owner too).
When it comes to interactions, try to keep them short (3 - 5 seconds) even if the interaction is going well, it can become too overwhelming to your puppy very quickly. So ending the interaction whilst it's going well is usually best - even if it seems counterintuitive.
Common mistakes to avoid when socialising your puppy around other dogs are:
Only Socialising with Other Puppies
While puppy classes and puppy playdates can be useful, only socialising with other puppies can limit learning. Puppies benefit from observing and interacting with calm, well-socialised adult dogs who can model appropriate behaviour. A mix of experiences is far more valuable than puppy-only interactions.
Play, play, play
Play is often seen as the goal of dog socialisation, but constant play can lead to over-arousal and frustration. Puppies don’t need to play with every dog they meet. Learning to calmly coexist, observe and disengage is just as important — and often more beneficial in the long term.
Too Much Freedom
Giving puppies too much freedom too soon can be overwhelming. Busy parks, off-lead areas or unstructured interactions can make it difficult for a puppy to process what’s happening. Structured, short and supported experiences help puppies feel safe and allow learning to happen without stress.
Being Told Off by Other Dogs
It’s a common belief that older dogs should “tell puppies off” to teach them manners. While calm adult dogs may offer appropriate feedback, harsh corrections can be frightening and damaging, especially for young puppies. Socialisation should always prioritise emotional safety and positive associations.
Allowing Them to Say Hello to Every Dog
When puppies are allowed to to interact with every dog they see, it sets an unrealistic and unhelpful expectation that this will be the norm going forward. This can and often does, lead to something called frustrated greeting, where the dog barks and lunges because they aren't allowed to say interact with the other dog.
How to Socialise Your Puppy Around People
When it comes to introducing your puppy to people, it’s best to start with family and friends (ideally people who will follow your instructions) at your home. Initially, your puppy is likely to be cautious when meeting new people, this is totally normal and nothing to worry about.
Allow the puppy to approach at their own pace.
Don’t force them to interact (this adds negative pressure).
Keep initial interactions short.
Allow the puppy to leave if they want to.
Keep calm.
Below is a short video from Charlie's first time out at a busy local park, at a busy time. You'll notice how we let him observe everything that's going on.
When out on walks, you’re going to need to try and limit your puppy’s interactions with people so they don’t get too overwhelmed or start to get too over-excited when walking past people. This is easier said than done as people will often want to say hello to your cute puppy, often without asking you. Now to this day, I haven’t found a bulletproof to completely eliminate this but some things that work are:
Saying “No thank you” when people ask.
Saying “Sorry we’re in training” or purchasing some ‘Puppy in Training’ gear.
If dealing with a persistently difficult person, putting your palm out - as if to say stop, works quite well.
Avoid eye contact - this can be interpreted as an invitation by some people.
Walk away - particularly when you notice people coming towards you.
When it comes to mistakes to try and avoid, the common ones are;
Forcing Them to Say Hello
The lack of choice can lead to your puppy developing fear or anxiety around people, this can lead to problems later on in their life. Allow your puppy to observe the situation before they decide whether they want to approach or not.
Making Every Interaction Positive
Dogs learn via association, which slowly develops over time. When it comes to people, puppies who are repeatedly played with, made excited by people will usually find it hard to ignore them later in life. What we want to aim for is a calm and relaxed association between your puppy and people, this is done by managing the interactions, paying attention to body language and making sure excitement doesn't get too much.
Expecting Your Puppy Like Everyone
This is a biggie and it applies to most scenarios. For some reason, a lot humans expect/believe that dogs enjoy all interactions and are always happy - this just isn’t true. When it comes to people, try to have a realistic expectation that your puppy will not like everyone and that’s ok.
Allowing Them to Say Hello to Everyone
When puppies are allowed to to interact with every person they see, it sets an unrealistic and unhelpful expectation that this will be the norm going forward. This can and often does, lead to something called frustrated greeting, where the dog barks and lunges because they aren't allowed to say interact with the person.
To summarise, we want our puppies to know how to interact with people and form positive relationships with them, just not with everyone. This means taking a proactive but controlled approach. For every 1 person your puppy interacts with, try to make sure the next 3 they just observe/don't interact with.
How to Socialise Your Puppy Around Wildlife
The end goal when it comes to socialising your puppy around other animals and wildlife is pretty simple, we want them to not be bothered - that means no excitement or fear. Now this is easier said than done due to genetics but knowing what to aim for makes things clearer.
Not being bothered, requires a different approach when it comes to socialisation. Your puppy should experience what I call “controlled freedom” this is where they are kept on a 5 meter longline, which allows them to roam but it stops them from going up to and more importantly chasing other animals, this is really important as stopping chasing can be really difficult to unlearn once its been practiced.
Initially, start from a distance and allow your puppy to observe and explore their immediate environment. Reward your puppy any time they look at the animal and then look away (disengagement), this teaches them to not focus on the animal and pay attention to you. If they are calm, gradually reduce the distance between them and the animal but remember to pay attention to their body language. We don’t need to get up close and personal with other animals, we just need for your puppy to know they are there and be calm.
If your puppy starts to fixate for too long (more than 3 seconds) or starts to get too excited/overwhelmed, increase their distance between them and the animal until they are calm. If they don’t calm down, leave the situation and try again a few days later. If there is still a problem, I recommend contacting a reputable behaviourist to help you figure out what’s going on.
It’s important to remember that dogs should be kept on leads around animals and it is a crime for them to chase livestock.
How to Socialise Your Puppy in New Environments
Socialising your puppy to new places is about much more than simply taking them somewhere unfamiliar. It’s about helping them learn that new environments are safe, predictable and manageable.
Start with quieter, low-pressure locations and give your puppy time to observe. This might mean sitting on a bench, standing at the edge of a car park, or watching the world go by from a distance. Allow your puppy to stop, sniff and take in information at their own pace — this is how they process the environment.
As your puppy becomes more comfortable, you can gradually increase the level of difficulty. This might look like spending slightly longer in a location, moving a little closer to activity, or visiting at a busier time of day. Progression should always be guided by your puppy’s body language rather than a set timeline.
The aim is not for your puppy to confidently march through every new place straight away, but to feel calm enough to explore, disengage and recover if something unexpected happens.
In the video below, you'll notice some signs of stress in Charlie, specifically: stopping, panting, wide eyes and jumping. As soon as we noticed these we took him out of the situation and let him relax before trying again.
How to Socialise Your Puppy to Novel Sounds
Sounds are an important part of socialisation and are often overlooked until a problem appears.
Begin by exposing your puppy to everyday sounds at a low intensity. This might include distant traffic, household noises or recordings played quietly. Pair these sounds with something positive, such as food, play or calm reassurance, and allow your puppy to move away if they choose.
As your puppy becomes more comfortable, you can gradually increase volume, proximity or unpredictability. The key is to progress slowly and only when your puppy is relaxed. Sudden, loud or unavoidable noises can be overwhelming and may increase sensitivity rather than reduce it.
Remember that your puppy doesn’t need to love every sound — they simply need to learn that sounds are not something to fear. The Dog’s Trust has an excellent guide called Sounds Sociable about this, which includes sounds - click here to be taken to their website.
Common Socialisation Mistakes
Socialisation is something most puppy owners want to get right, but with so much conflicting advice it’s easy to unintentionally do too much, too fast. Many common mistakes come from good intentions, wanting puppies to be friendly, confident and “used to everything” but can actually lead to overwhelm, stress or unrealistic expectations. Understanding what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to do.
Telling Them Off
Unfortunately, this happens more often than you’d think. When socialising your puppy it's important to remember that is likely their first experience with the outside world, which is going to be stressful and worrying for them. Telling them off is not only cruel (in my opinion) but it teaches your puppy to be wary of you and less trusting of you when they feel worried and need help.
Dismissing/Not Understanding Their Body Language
Let’s be honest, most humans suck at correctly understanding dog body language. When it comes to knowing how your socialisation training is going, it’s best to pay attention to your dog’s body language - this will tell you all you need to know. Instead of making judgements like ‘they’re being silly’ or ‘stubborn’, I highly recommend improving your knowledge of body language.
In the below video, Charlie had become nervous around a rubbish bin. You'll notice his reluctance, stiffness and moving away. During this particular session, we gave him time to explore near the bin and he slowly became more inquisitive and relaxed over time.
Starting Off Too Hard
A very common mistake that occurs is when a puppy is put into an environment or situation that is too overwhelming for them. In the dog trainer world, this is called flooding and it can lead to anxiety and stress later down the line. To avoid this, remember to start off easy and gradually increase the difficulty.
Overstaying Your Welcome
When it comes to the length of interactions, the best advice is to keep them short and sweet. It’s very easy for a puppy to get overwhelmed and that can make an interaction go from positive to stressful in a few seconds.
It’s much better to end an interaction early, when it’s going well rather than letting it go on too long and becoming stressful for your puppy.
Moving Too Fast
One of the best bits of advice I ever got from a tutor of mine was to let your dog watch the world go by, as this allows them to take in a lot of information when they are relaxed, this is key for forming solid associations.
When this comes to socialisation, you’ll often see puppies being dragged past or towards things so they “get used to it” with little to no time to process what's going on - this can lead to uncertainty and can lead to your puppy stopping more on walks.
The best thing to do is to allow your puppy to observe and decide if they want to move closer or away from the distraction. This little bit of choice has a big impact on your dog’s confidence and resilience later in their life.
Below is a video of Charlie, sitting and watching a lawnmower in action (something he's never seen before) - it would have been very easy to drag him along at this point but these are the kind of unusual things we need puppies to see and safely experience.
Most socialisation problems don’t come from a lack of effort, but from pressure and misunderstanding. Too many interactions, too much freedom or forcing puppies into situations they’re not ready for can undermine confidence rather than build it. Following the above can prevent some unnecessary problems from occurring.
What To Do If Something Goes Wrong
Obviously, we want nothing to go wrong during this crucial stage of your puppy’s development but it’s important to know what to do when things don’t go as planned. Below are some tips that I have learnt over my many years working with dogs of all ages.
Take a Break
If your puppy reacts negatively to something or they appear nervous, the best thing you can do is to give them a few days away from the situation. Whilst this sounds counterintuitive, let me explain.
If a puppy has a negative experience during their socialisation period, most well meaning owners will try to show them that there’s nothing to be worried about by reintroducing them to it. Whilst this does make sense, if done too soon after the initial reaction, it can lead to your puppy feeling worried or nervous around that particular situation.
The best thing to do in this situation, is to temporarily avoid the situation for a couple of days and then reintroduce them carefully. This usually involves observing the situation from further away, reducing the amount of time they are observing and pairing it with something positive, most likely food at this stage.
Don't Let Them Sleep On It
This tip comes from my experience working with severe behaviour cases.
If your puppy does have a negative experience during this period, it's really tempting to take them home and let them sleep. Now this isn’t the best thing to do because when your puppy sleeps, they process their experiences and form associations, particularly with recent memories. This can lead to negative associations being formed.
Instead, the best thing to do is to try and create what I call a positive buffer. This is when we allow the puppy to do something that relaxes them and that they find positive before they sleep. The idea is that instead of going to sleep in a stressed state, they go to sleep relaxed and feeling better about everything before falling asleep. This can minimise the chances of negative associations forming.
To do this is pretty simple, after the negative experience;
Play a game with your puppy, or
Allow them to explore a calm area, or
Give them their favourite chew to focus on, or
Using a snuffle mat or lickimat to encourage chewing, which calms them down.
Then let them sleep.
Reflect On It
If an encounter does go wrong, a really simple yet effective thing to do is take a little while to think about what went wrong and what you can do differently next time.
Reintroduce Carefully
When you reintroduce your puppy to the situation, there are a few things you can do to help them.
Increase distance, this allows your puppy to observe without feeling overwhelmed or scared and gives them the choice to move closer etc. (This is really good for confidence and resilience)
Initially reduce exposure time, shorter experiences are less likely to go wrong or become stressful.
Reassure when necessary. If you notice your puppy getting worried or looking at you for support, give it to them. Not only does this help them feel safe but it helps them learn to trust you, something which will be very important as they grow up.
Get Professional Help
If you have noticed some unusual behaviour or reactions from your puppy and you’re confused as to why, it’s a good idea to contact a qualified trainer or behaviourist who can help you understand what’s going on and help you put a plan in place, to address these issues and hopefully avoid any lasting problems.
It's really easy to want to fix things quickly, but the best thing to do is to take a breath and carefully plan what to do next. Rushing in, will likely only cause problems later on.
Summary
Puppy socialisation is not about ticking boxes or exposing your puppy to everything as quickly as possible. It’s about helping them learn how to navigate the world feeling safe, supported and able to cope.
By focusing on quality over quantity, allowing your puppy choice, watching their body language and progressing gradually, you can lay strong foundations for confidence and resilience later in life.
Remember, socialisation is an ongoing process. There is no such thing as doing it perfectly, only doing your best with the information you have. If something doesn’t go as planned, taking a step back and adjusting your approach is far more valuable than pushing through.
If you’re unsure or need support, seeking guidance early can make a significant difference. The right help can prevent small challenges from becoming bigger issues and ensure your puppy gets the best possible start in life.
If you’d like my help, feel free to drop me a message or book a free discovery call.